Military and high court 'fed up with president'

Islamabad: In its standoff with President Asif Ali Zardari's administration, Pakistan's powerful military is relying on an institution that experts say is equally antagonistic toward the civilian government: the country's high court.

The Pakistani capital has been awash with rumours that the army, which is fed up with a civilian government defined by corruption and ineffectiveness, is planning a coup. But as the rift between civilian leaders and the security establishment widens, it's becoming clear that a military takeover isn't what the generals envision.

Rather, analysts say the military appears to be aligning itself with the Supreme Court, a body with strong backing from everyday Pakistanis and the legal firepower to endanger Zardari's tenuous grip on governance.

Reinforcing each other

While an outright coup probably would bring international criticism of the generals, experts say those traditional power brokers would welcome Zardari's ouster through court action. "Both are acting in a manner in which they are reinforcing each other," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a Lahore-based political analyst.

"They are very quietly and discreetly helping each other ... even if there doesn't appear to be a formal arrangement between the two." Last week, Pakistani media quoted military sources as saying the army stood ready to enforce any action that the high court took against the government. The remarks came just days after the Supreme Court had warned Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani that it could remove him from office if he did not abide by the court's longstanding demand that he reinstate corruption proceedings against Zardari.

Corruption charges

The court's feud with Zardari dates back to the early days of his presidency, when he initially balked at reinstating Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, who had been driven from his post by former ruler Pervez Musharraf.

Zardari reportedly feared that Chaudhry would allow old corruption charges against him in Switzerland to proceed. For the last two years, the high court has been demanding that the government send a letter to the Swiss government requesting the revival of those charges.

The case stems from Zardari's conviction in absentia in 2003 in Switzerland on money-laundering charges.

Zardari's presidency is also threatened by a probe involving a Pakistani American businessman's claims that he was asked by then ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani to pass on to US officials an unsigned memo seeking the Obama administration's help in fending off a potential military coup against Zardari's government. Observers say Zardari could be forced from office if it is proved that he was behind the memo.